Russian Forces Deploy Near Syria’s Border with Jordan

PHOTO: File/FARSThe SE Al-Tanf border crossing is key to Damascus having a land bridge from Iran and Iraq for critical economic and military support. (Veterans Today)

By Jim W. Dean | 24 May 2017

VETERANS TODAY — We have no confirmation from Syria on this, but that is not unusual. Deployments like this are usually leaked and not made official until some combat makes it obvious. It takes some time for them to get into position, and their size and make up would be an indication of what their mission would be, which they don’t want out too early.

For example, there have been previous reports that Russian Special Forces would be deployed to assist the Syrian forces clearing the SE Syria area of ISIS. The justification was that if US and British Special Ops could be operating there doing that, then how could the US Coalition object to the Russians helping Syria do it. So far the US has been quiet.

But today we hear not only that Russian Special Ops are being deployed, but an armored unit and a mountain brigade. If this is true we have crossed the line from Russian “advisors” to having regular Russian military formations now on combat. I don’t think the Russians would be doing this unless the US coalition also has such units already inside Syria and engaged, but not admitting it.

The Russians have played a conservative hand in Syria to protect themselves from being tagged as an aggressor. They wait for the US coalition to escalate, and then respond to the escalation. Moscow would have a strong hand in that case if the US wanted to bring up a “Russian aggression” claim before the US Security Council. […]